Welcome
Rolofusion is an eclectic mix of all kinds of positive things: art, music, spirituality, literature, politics, poetry, critical analysis, community, and much more.
Rolofusion spirit music culture
© 2013 by Rolando R. All rights reserved.
En un reciente encuentro de escritores, músicos, y
artistas visuales organizado por la pintora Tanya Torres, conversábamos todos sentados en un circulo sobre nuestros procesos creativos. La muy animada discusión fluía libremente con el vino y la risa cuando la escritora Myrna Nieves paso a leer una historia corta basada en un sueño. Al terminar, Myrna explico el papel de los sueños en su trabajo literario y como ella los integra en su proceso creativo. Fue entonces cuando sin perder tiempo y como instigador principal, aproveche la oportunidad para abrir la discusión de par en par y poner al centro la noción sobre la naturaleza y origen de la creatividad.
De inmediato, el aire se cargo con una interesante
expectativa. Como si todos hubiesen dicho; ummm..., esto se esta poniendo bueno! LEER MAS
Explorando tu Creatividad:
Tras el Origen y Desarrollo de tu Potencial CreativoPor Rolando R.
Affirmations are prayers in the form of positive statements of Truth. They are declarations of something, for example order, healing, wisdom, guidance, inner peace, prosperity, our highest good, or harmony as already existing in our lives. Affirmations help us to recognize and accept these things in our lives as part of an undeniable and unchanging underlying spiritual truth always at work in and through all things, God, Spirit, the Good. They are a way of tuning in to the truth of Spirit and claiming it as our own. REED MORE
Here are two videos on creativity based on the best seller book The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. The first one outlines some principles of the book. The second video is a compilation of affirmations for the creative journey inspired by the book.
Creativity and Spirit:
The Artist's Way
In this article, Michael T. Klare explains how big energy is following the path laid out by big tobacco expanding their sales and operations in the developing world, a rapidly expanding market, as a way to increase revenues in the face of increased regulations and a push to curtain carbon emissions in the developed world. The end result is a sharp rise in global carbon emissions, with most of the growth taking place in these developing countries which are also the least prepared to cope with the consequences of global warming in the form of severe droughts, stronger storms, floodings, raging wildfires and rising sea levels, among others.
Source: thenation.com, image: Jason Lee
Like Big Tobacco, Big Energy Targets the Developing World for Future Profits
The hollowing out of the middle class and the squeezing of the working class has been in effect for a long time. Our recent economic collapse has accelerated this process making us all aware of the harsh economic manipulations that we are subjected to. For the poor, economic abuse and exploitation is nothing new. However, it is reaching incredible new proportions as Daniel Ross shows in his article “A Modern-Day Debtors’ Prison”. Ross shows how poverty is being criminalized by outsourcing probation management to for-profit companies that charge out of reach fees to the country's poorest residents. As a result, many people end up in jail for nonpayment. This new scam is nothing but an extension to our industrial prison system.
READ MORE.
Source: yesmagazine.org
America’s New War on Poverty:
How Being Poor is Now a Crime
Watch What You Say,
Watch What You Do:
The Web is Looking
LOOKING at YOOOUUU!
Yeap, Facebook knows about your significant other, your ethnicity, how likely you are to go for conspiracy theories, and even how your mom talks to you! Dana Liebelson reports on what Facebook does to get to know you. Unfortunately, in her brief article Dana forgot to ask; who gets all this data about you at the end of the day and how is it used? Monika Bauerlein and Clara Jeffery offer some straight up and sobering answers to these questions on their article, Where Does Facebook Stop and the NSA Begin? Want to know more about who else is looking at you? Check out Dana’s other article, Meet the Data Brokers Who Help Corporations Sell Your Digital Life. All cortesy of your friends at Mother Jones.
Book Review
‘Ardor’, by Roberto Calasso
In a meditation on the wisdom of the Vedas, Roberto Calasso brings ritual and sacrifice to bear on the modern world. With his signature erudition and profound sense of the past, Calasso constructs a bracing genealogy of ideas, which transcends many contemporary conceits about literature and philosophy. While dealing with an ostensible range of subjects, Calasso maintains a continuity of themes: the power and sovereignty of the mind and its relationship to the world, the basis of political and social order and the inescapable role of violence. However, his writing demands familiarity with a very different intellectual tradition than the one manifest today in the pieties of radical, liberal and conservative thought. It assumes that the modern world can no longer explain its extraordinary violence and disorder in its own terms, and that we ought to understand the supposedly primitive customs and institutions, such as sacrifice, that linger invisibly in even postmodern societies.
Source: NY Times Book Review
Toward a Worldwide Culture of Love
By bell hooks. Source: lionsroar.com
bell hooks on the practice of love as the most powerful antidote to the politics of domination. In this extraordinary essay, hooks traces her thirty-year meditation on love, power, and Buddhism, and concludes it is only love that transforms our personal relationships and heals the wounds of oppression.
At a conference on women and Buddhism that took place in spring last year, I was upset because most of the speakers were giving their talks in this serene, beautiful chapel, a place evoking a sense of the divine, a sacred place for the word to be spoken and heard, yet my talk was to take place on a Friday night in an unappealing, cavernous auditorium.... READ MORE
I TRY TO MEDITATE
but
I CANT BREATH
until
BLACK LIVES MATTER
Spiritual Responses to Ferguson and Eric Garner
by Rolando R
From Ferguson, to New York, to DC, the difficult issue of race is back at the forefront of American life. As recent events have shown, the so called post racial America of the Obama era is nothing but wishful thinking. For us Americans, race remains an open wound with a long history that goes back to the foundation of our nation, and that has shaped us all along the way. As spiritual people, many of us try to stay rooted on the one spiritual principle underlying all things. We recognize that this Principle,... READ MORE
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The 4 Agreements in a Nutshell
BE IMPECCABLE WITH YOUR WORD
a. Speak with integrity.
b. Say only what you mean.
c. Avoid using the Word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others.
d. Use the power of your Word in the direction of truth and love.
DON'T TAKE ANYTHING PERSONALLY
a. Nothing others do is because of you.
b. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream.
c. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you wont be the victim of needless suffering.
DON'T MAKE ASSUMPTIONS
a. Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want.
b. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama.
c. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.
ALWAYS DO YOUR BEST
a. Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick.
b. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgement, self-abuse, and regreat.
How is the internet redefining the performing arts’ world and to what effects? How can the magic of live theater, live music, live dance compete with the always-on Internet? With keen insight and a clear vision of the role of art and its significance in today’s world, Ben Cameron assesses the state of the performing arts.
Ben Cameron is the Program Director, Arts, at the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation in New York, where he supervises a $13 million grants program aimed at the performing arts. During 13 seasons, Cameron has been a panelist on the opera quiz during the Live from the Metropolitan radio broadcasts from New York. He has also served as a member of the Tony Awards Nominating Committee, and is one of the most articulate proponents and supporters of the performing arts.
Source: Ted.com
The True Power of the Performing Arts
Loosing Ourselves to Technology
Source: newphilosopher.com
If as McLuhan wrote back in the 60’s, the medium is the message, what is the self in our modern information highway? Perhaps nothing more than roadkill. In this article, Antonia Case explores the connections between technology, cognitive overload, and the loss of self.
MichMillie’s vision became blurred and then she lost consciousness. Stressed and overworked, she took two weeks off, booked herself into a retreat, and slowly regained a sense of what she thought she’d lost. She’d been nothing more than an information processor for ten years. READ MORE
Are Hipsters Really the End of Western Civilization?
Jake Mohan on the Adbusters’ article on hipsters’ culture as the narcissistic commodification of cool.
That culturally ubiquitous slice of youth culture known as hipsters now finds itself under the microscope of the always provocative Adbusters. The magazine’s latest issue—and, to some extent, its overall editorial mission—is predicated on the alleged cultural malaise of the past 50 years, beginning with the rise of postwar consumer culture as an inevitable byproduct of Western ingenuity. “Practical cleverness beats the crap out of spiritual wisdom on the battlefield and in the marketplace, as the West has made clear over the last 500 years,” the preface declares. “But cleverness without wisdom sooner or later destroys life.” READ MORE
Source: Utne.com
“We are dead stars looking back up at the sky.”
An Astronomer Explains Why This Is the Best Moment in Cosmic History to Be Alive
Michelle Thaller, a NASA astronomer and assistant director for science communication at the Goddard Space Flight Center, explains the role stars have played in the creation of the earth’s elements throughout time, and how a good understanding of our environment can help foster a better appreciation for your own life as well as this particular time in the earth’s history.
Source: The Really Big Questions / The Atlantic
On Being of Service
By Rolando R.
Across the nation, thousands of people, participated in volunteering efforts aimed at making a social difference and honoring Martin Luther King in celebration of his National Day of Service on January 18th. In churches, temples, and many other congregations we were reminded of his legacy and his exemplary life of service. But what exactly does it mean to be of service for us today? How do you serve and why? What if any are the boundaries of your service? ...READ MORE
Mantras (Excerpt from “Polishing the Mirror”) by Ram Dass
Source: ramdass.org
Ram Dass on the practice and power of chanting mantras.
Inside of me there’s a mantra going on that reminds me of who I am. It’s that place inside – that niche in the wall where the candle flame never flickers. Always bringing me right to my heart where we dwell eternally.
Mantra is the repetition of the names of God. Mantra is usually recited silently in the mind. When practiced daily, it has the ability to steady the mind and transform consciousness. To be most effective, mantra should be repeated frequently; any time, any place – walking, taking a shower, washing the dishes. I used to do mantra while waiting in line, so as not be bored. Now I practice being here now in line... READ MORE
John Lennon's Wit and Vision
Source: filmsforaction.org
In 1969, a 14-year-old Beatle fanatic named Jerry Levitan, armed with a reel-to-reel tape deck, snuck into John Lennon's hotel room in Toronto and convinced John to do an interview about peace. 38 years later, Jerry has produced a film about it. Using the original interview recording as the soundtrack, director Josh Raskin has woven a visual narrative which tenderly romances Lennon's every word in a cascading flood of multipronged animation. Raskin marries the terrifyingly genius pen work of James Braithwaite with masterful digital illustration by Alex Kurina, resulting in a spell-binding vessel for Lennon's boundless wit, and timeless message.
Trusting Yourself to Make Decisions Instead of Always Seeking Advice
By Esther Bautista. Photo by Alice Popkorn
In this article, author Esther Bautista recounts her strugle to learn to trust herself in making decisions in the face of personal invalidation: "I learned not to trust my ability to make a good decision because the people in my life did not validate my view of reality....I have often run around asking multiple people, What should I do?.... But then I was angry with them for “telling me what to do.” What I was really telling myself is that my opinion didn’t matter. I valued other people’s opinions far above my own. I disowned myself". The author goes on to share the lessons she learned and how she reclaimed her personal power. READ MORE.
Carl Jung and the Artistic Impulse: Madness in the Creative Spirit
Andy Dilks explores the origins of the creative impulse from a Jungian perspective.
The artistic impulse permeates throughout history: from the “primitive” cave art of the Upper Palaeolithic through to the introduction of perspective and foreshortening during the Renaissance, rules which would later be subverted beyond recognition by the artists of modernity, who sought to express new ways of seeing and ushered in an era of visual experimentation. Either as creators or consumers, art remains ever-present in the modern world, both a vehicle for expressing our innermost thoughts and desires and a medium through which we can escape into new realities and emotions.
What is it that leads us to create art? Is there a psychological drive at work, a subconscious force which simmers away beneath the surface before emerging in an explosion of creativity? READ MORE
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Source: highexistence.com
The Path of Fear and Fearlessness
How do you deal with fear in your life? What can we learn from it? We have our conscious day-to-day fears, but also fears that are deeply ingrained in us at such suttle levels that we don't think of them as fears. As Judith Lief points out in this article, "sometimes we put up a pretense of virtue, but really we're afraid of being bad. Are our good deeds true virtue or just fear?" This concise, but to the point article explains how meditation can help us to confront our fears and transform them. READ MORE.
Source: shambhalasun.com
How One Generation Was Single-Handedly Able To Kill The Music Industry
Source:elitedaily.com
In this article, Thomas Honeyman recaps the history and trends that have transformed the music industry. Laying bare its decline, Honeyman examines how this transformation has affected musicians, the public in general, and music itself. This thought provoking article has many implications and raises many questions. Some of these are brought forward by readers in the comments section below the article.
The old music industry is dead. We’re standing in the ruins of a business built on private jets, Cristal, $18 CDs and million-dollar recording budgets. We’re in the midst of the greatest music industry disruption of the past 100 years. A fundamental shift has occurred — a shift that Millennials are driving... Read More
Sharing Music Builds Trust, Empathy, and Cooperation—Here Are Four Ways Science Proves It
By Jill Suttie, Source: yesmagazine.org
As a form of expression, music leads us to understand the intent of musicians and what’s being communicated. In the process, music fosters empathy, cooperation, and connects us to one another.
In 2009, archeologists unearthed a flute carved from bone and ivory that was over 35,000 years old. This proved that even during the hunting/gathering stage of human evolution, music was present and important to society. Why else take time away from survival tasks to create a musical instrument? Read More
Music Criticism
Book Review: Greil Marcus’s ‘History of Rock ‘n’ Roll in Ten Songs’
Toure reviews renown music critic Greil Marcus’s new book for the NY Times. This review, just as the book itself, is an excellent mix of music criticism and cultural studies.
It's no secret to all my friends that I'm a huge Pat Metheny fan. The jazz/fusion master creates incredible music that moves you to the core. Using a wide pallete of sounds, styles, and influences, Pat has created a very distinctive sound that is always recognasible through all his ever changing musical projects which define categorization.
In his new record with his new band, Unity, Pat Metheny harks back at his classic Pat Metheny Group period and sound. Keeping things a bit simple, but as always emotionally moving and deeply satisfying, the master puts out another great record full of great melodic lines.
Full reviews:
2. jazz times
Pat Metheny's New Record
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Grateful: A Love Song to the World
Nimo Patel, a musician rooted in the artform of hip hop and who's message is universal to the human spirit, shares this contagious video song done in colaboration with Daniel Nahmad.
Why We Love Music
Source: spiritualityhealth.com
Jill Suttle explains new research that shows how music affects the brain, and it's impact on our emotional lives.
I still remember when I first heard the song by Peter Gabriel, “Solsbury Hill.” Something about that song—the lyrics, the melody, the unusual 7/4 time signature—gave me chills. Even now, years later, it still can make me cry. Who among us doesn’t have a similar story about a song that touched us? Whether attending a concert, listening to the radio, or singing in the shower, there’s something about music that can fill us with emotion, from joy to sadness. Read More
When Christians Won't Say #BlackLivesMatter
By Kevin Wright. Source:huffingtonpost.com
In the name of diversity and with empty gestures, many churches and other congregations sweep racial issues under the rug.
A few weeks ago I had a conversation with a Christian who mentioned that he considered himself to be a strong advocate for racial equality. Yet when I asked him about his support for the #BlackLivesMatter movement, he demurred and said that he believed, “All lives matter.” I am typically wary of relying upon litmus tests and “shibboleths” as a sole means of understanding a person’s worldview but it is occasionally the case that an individual’s unwillingness to say a particular thing or to say it in a nuanced way speaks volumes about his or her personal beliefs.... Read More
New York City can wear you out. Get away from it all and take a day trip to some amazing destinations just a train ride away from the city. Here are some places to visit in the Hudson Valley where you can be in nature, enjoy some fine art, and renew yourself. Just be careful, or like me you could be one of the many New Yorkers that came in to visit and ended up staying up here. READ MORE.
Escape From New York:
Day Trips to Renew Yourself
Video: Tom Morello on Protest Music
Source: Billmoyers.com
In this 2012 Moyers Moment from Moyers & Company, songwriter Tom Morello — known as the guitarist for the band Rage Against the Machine, and more recently as a solo performer under the name “The Nightwatchman” — discusses the role he and his music play at political protests, and the American tradition of social justice troubadours. More
Meet the Jeans-Wearing, Nature-Loving Nuns Who Helped Stop a Kentucky Pipeline
ByLaura Michele Diener. Source: Yesmagazine.org
Commited to social and environmental justice these sisters face new challenges as fewer women enter the convent.
"The easiest way for me to find God is in nature,” Sister Ceciliana Skees explains. Born Ruth Skees, she grew up in Hardin County, Kentucky, during the 1930s. It’s a rural place of soft green hills, where her father farmed his entire life. Now just a few months shy of her eighty-fifth birthday, she remembers feeling the first stirrings of a religious calling at the age of 10. Read More
